Crazy, crazy crazy idea or is it?

[daemondamian]

Ok I'm moving my collection of orchids into a little lean-to/attached plant shed for the winter, as I'm hoping to build a proper GH in the spring.

It is attached to an open carport and the back wall is solid
galvanised [or something] metal which is roughly 4 x 2 metres.

I have read alot and been very inspired by vivs and epiphyte/wet walls and am thinking what if I turned that whole wall into such a thing- covered in plants, possibly with water seeping through or a water fall, possibly with water plants at the very bottom sitting in a sealed plastic rain gutter, a misting system hooked up to mains water maybe on a timer..

I could not only grow some orchids on there but other miscellanous plants like echindorus etc of which I have heaps of babies on flowers in my fishtanks currently growing now.

I wouldn't plan on introducing any animals but I already frogs in my little hobby GH that invited themselves in and I bet they would love it!

So is it a crazy idea that I need to squash immediately or is it something you would do- that maybe I could/should do?!

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[Shadow]

I think it is a great idea. I don't know if it works in practice, but it will definitely look amazing!

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by Shadow

I think it is a great idea. I don't know if it works in practice, but it will definitely look amazing!

Thanks Shadow for the encouragment, now it's a toss up between the whole wall 'viv' or making a 3ft vertical viv of my 3ft fishtank.. I suppose I could do both.. or I could put the fishtank at the bottom of the wall as the water reserve for a waterfall with a pump.

I just recently came across a page talking about having big fish ponds inside greenhouses which act as a thermal heat bank, absorbing heat during the day and giving it off at night yet they keep the GH cooler in winter not quite sure how that works

[Shadow]

I vote for whole wall 'viv' with waterfall. Hope, when I move I will have place to build something similar.

[harrywitmore]

I have tried the water wall idea and while it seems to work OK I have had a hard time regulating water through the fabric. I have Begonias, Pileas and a few orchids growing on mine but it's not fantastic looking like I had hoped. I plan to get it out of the greenhouse this spring and do some adjustments, Can't do much now with the greenhouse packed with plants. I'm also sort of confused. Is this a plan for next winter?

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

I have tried the water wall idea and while it seems to work OK I have had a hard time regulating water through the fabric. I have Begonias, Pileas and a few orchids growing on mine but it's not fantastic looking like I had hoped. I plan to get it out of the greenhouse this spring and do some adjustments, Can't do much now with the greenhouse packed with plants. I'm also sort of confused. Is this a plan for next winter?

Water wall?? Did you mean water fall?

Please, post photos of your construction.

[harrywitmore]

The instructions for creating the wall are now off the web for some reason. I did not create any myself but here is a short description of how I did it.

1. First you need a container to collect water which will be the catch basin for the wall. I used a small plastic pond liner 24" diameter
2. Next you will need some capillary mat. There are many places to get this but I don't have a source off the top of my head
3. You will also need a sheet of clear plastic. Needs to be still.
4. You will need a recirculating pump and a means to hold the wall vertical. I used copper pipe and attached the pump to the bottom and made a tee at the top to hold the fabric. I drilled the tee to allow the pumped water to escape.
5. You cut the fabric and the plastic sheet to the desired wall size, mine is 2' x 3'. Leave extra length on the fabric so that you can create a way to attach the wall to the tee or whatever you have constructed to hold the wall up. The plastic sheet should cover the entire back of the wall so water will be directed through the fabric.
6. You attach the plants using whatever works for you. I used velcro to hold the cuttings to the wall until they developed roots to attach themselves.
7. Now just allow the water to recirculate through the wall. You apply fertilizer in weak strength to the container of water.

Sorry, I don't have pictures and this is probably not real clear. I keep a copy of the original instructions but cannot post them since they are not mine and I never was able to get permission to post them.

[harrywitmore]

I did find the original post but it is not in english.
Mur a epiphytes / epiphyte Wall

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

I have tried the water wall idea and while it seems to work OK I have had a hard time regulating water through the fabric. I have Begonias, Pileas and a few orchids growing on mine but it's not fantastic looking like I had hoped. I plan to get it out of the greenhouse this spring and do some adjustments, Can't do much now with the greenhouse packed with plants. I'm also sort of confused. Is this a plan for next winter?

Hi Harry,
yup that was one thing I was trying figure out-if I had water seeping through the whole wall [constantly wet/moist] then some plants- orchids in particular might not appreciate that.

The other option is to build it like a viv background, Great Stuff foam, covered in a flevopol like mixture with a distinct water fall and misters at the top..

To the confusion- all my orchids are currently outside on a table, or in my little hobby GHs and I plan on putting them into the lean-to for the winter [more space/light etc] and building a big proper GH in the spring.
I did intend to use that wall just to hang mounts on but why just hang mounts on there when I could build a slice of tropical jungle? .

I don't know whether I would do it now [we're in Autum here in Australia] or leave it and see how hot it gets in Summer and whether or not I can sufficiently cool it- I would hate to make the wall and have most of the plants
dieing off from excess heat .

If I could keep it cool enough in Summer I would probably use it to grow lots of Masdevallias, Pleurothallis, Dracula etc.

[Shadow]

Thanks, Harry. Interesting idea, but I'm not sure about this fabric.... I thought about water fall going down the wall, not the water going through all wall. Does this fabric idea substitute the automatic watering with tubes?